Day 2 of Treatment 5. Bye bye taste

Victoria took me to treatment yesterday. It was the first time she had accompanied me since my first treatment so it was powerful for her to reconnect with my treatment experience. We also met with almost the entire team to discuss everything from the latest side effects that I reported from the previous treatment to discussions of research papers that I wanted to discuss which explore adding curcumin as a supplement to FOLFOX and to a discussion of our surveillance plan to assess the success of both the surgical intervention in March and the chemotherapy course on preventing recurrence and spread. A pretty intense discussion as you can imagine.

Side effects

The nurses and pharmacist were immediately concerned with my mouth sores as they had not appeared in the first three treatments but really hit me hard over a week in to this past treatment. Essentially my mouth was a mess. I got scolded a bit for not taking the preventative measures of rinsing with salt water regularly until it was too late and the sores were in full effect. But in my defence they hadn't appeared for the first three treatments so I guess I thought I would avoid this one. Oh well. Salt water rinses for me. Oh joy.

My Oncologist is particularly concerned with the hand and foot pain, neuropathy, and sensitivity to cold from top to bottom. She suggested we reduce the dosage of Oxaplatin and also reiterated that this particular side effect can be permanent or at least long lasting even after treatments are complete. I reisted the reduction in dosage as I really want to maintain optimal chemo attack on the cancer as long as I can live with the neuropathy. I agreed that if it were to get any more intense or to really impact my life then we would adjust the dose.

As for the other SE's it is only Day 2 and the usual fatigue has been present but the nausea and GI issues are not bad at all. The taste buds are gone...shot...bye bye taste. Victoria's jambalaya tonight...smelled great, looked amazing...and by the way she dusted it seemed to be wicked jambalaya. I couldn't taste it at all. Not even a bit. I could feel the heat from the spice but that's it. Damn. And remember folks. I LOVE TO EAT. No appetite. No sense of taste. Damn. I will miss you. Hope you come back soon.

Surveillance. Follow-ups.
An important and laden discussion with Dr. Lingas, my Oncologist, about how we are assessing the success of the surgery and the chemotherapy. Surprisingly it is clear that my Oncology team will work with my surgeon Dr. Hart to assess whether the surgery in March truly "got it all" or whether there is recurrence. Dr. Lingas will be tracking through bloodwork my cells specific tumour markers, cancer signals or markers to detect elevation. In May, almost two months post operative and pre-chemo, my bloodwork showed normal levels in these important markers. Dr. Lingas will assess again in August however she stressed that there can be false positive results that are returned because of the FOLFOX treatments as it can cause elevation of some if these markers so we would need to analyze with a grain of salt. These critical markers will be followed by a CT scan in September that will assess whether the cancer has spread or not. Dr. Hart will oversee the assessment of this critical test and will discuss with me a couple of weeks later what the CT scan means for possible further scopes or surgery. I will more than likely have another colonoscopy in March 2013, one year following initial diagnosis, and annually for the next three to five years. Remember that five years is the goal, the magic number. So...three more months of mind numbing anxiety leading up to the scan in September. Thank God I have our pregnancy to keep my focus and all the positive support of friends, family and followers. You have no idea how much it means to my mental health.

So...Day 2 of treatment 5 of 12 is coming to a close. For those who thrive on numbers this is about 42% of the way there!!! To quote my friend Barb, bring on the next 7! Bring it on! I have had surprisingly good energy today despite not sleeping well last night and having a busy morning with Victoria's ultrasound. I took a much needed nap this afternoon and slept and slept for hours and this evening have felt pretty good considering I am still being infused at home. But...after walking Parker and posting tonight I am done...exhausted mentally and physically...this guy has got to call it a night. Good night all. Talk soon.